American Red Cross Contributes $100,000 To Relief Efforts in Mexico

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross has committed an initial $100,000 to relief efforts in Mexico, where record rainfall has devastated the country's southern states, causing deadly landslides and leaving some areas under water.

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The Mexican government has declared a state of disaster. Officials estimate as many as 100,000 families have been affected.  As the rain and flooding continues, the damage may worsen in some already inundated areas, like Veracruz which has approximately six and a half feet of water. In the southern state of Oaxaca many people are already living in makeshift tents on hillsides after landslides ravaged the area.

The Mexican Red Cross has opened emergency centers in all regions and in all of its 486 branches across the country.  It is assisting with search and rescue operations, evacuations, setting up emergency shelters, and distributing food and hygiene kits. Throughout the affected states, Red Cross emergency responders are preparing to provide tool kits and kitchen and clean-up kits. The American Red Cross is standing by, ready to send in supplies and personnel from its regional office in Central America if needed.

People with relatives in the area have contacted both the Mexican and American Red Cross, trying to find their loved ones. Both agencies are trying to help determine how and where residents of the affected areas are, and will work with the International Committee of the Red Cross to try to find answers to the families' requests.

If someone would like to help, they can make a financial donation to the American Red Cross by clicking, calling, or sending a text - visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. These donations will help people affected by this disaster, emergencies here in the United States, and disasters around the world.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

SOURCE American Red Cross